Frequently Asked Questions

Q & A’s will be published on this page as they are received.All questions will anonymous, unless requested.

What does a Neighbourhood Development Plan do?

Answer: A Neighbourhood Development Plan gives local people a chance to create a planning document that guides and shapes development in their local area and to influence what facilities are provided in the area as a result.

How much work is involved in developing a plan?

Answer: This depends on the nature and size of the area that is looking to
develop a plan. The parish/town council will be responsible for underta king much of the work with guidance and support provided from Cornwall Council.

Can Neighbourhood Development Orders (NDO) be used to restrict change of use of buildings?

Answer: NDOs are purely permissive and therefore cannot be used to restrict changes.

Can a Neighbourhood Plan stop housing in an area?

Answer: No – a Neighbourhood Development Plan can guide development to be more appropriate to the local context and help decide wh ere it goes, but the
government has made it clear that it is not a tool to be used to stop development.

How does a Neighbourhood Development Plan differ from a Community/Parish Plan?

Answer: A Community/Parish Plan takes into consideration all factors which
affect a community e.g. litter, noise pollution, etc. A Neighbourhood Plan only
relates to the use of land and development.

What is the time frame for developing a plan?

Answer: It depends on the size and complexity of the plan e.g. a large area that is doing a Neighbourhood Development Plan containing many factors e.g. flood risk, pollution, etc may take up to 2 years to develop. However an area that has
recently completed a survey of information on a specific area and would like to do a Neighbourhood Development Order on a site would be considerably less time.

What technical evidence documents would be included in the plan?

Answer: As above, this depends on the type of plan and complexity of the area.
Key evidence documents may include:

Is Cornwall Council still producing a Local Plan or just Neighbourhood Plans?

Answer: The Council is still progressing with the Local Plan which will cover the whole of Cornwall and contain overarching policies. Neighbourhood Plans can be produced alongside the development of the Local Plan.

Why has my area not received funding from Central Government?

Answer: The government has a rolling programme of funding for key neighbourhood initiatives. There are a number of funding rounds from central government and the Council is keen for parishes/towns to contact them if they are interested in developing a plan in the near future.

What if part of our parish is rural and part is close to a town, can the boundaries for the Neighbourhood Plan include part of another parish area?

Answer: A parish could split in two, with one half joining with a neighbouring parish/town to form a single neighbourhood area (only with the con sent of the other parish).
The important thing is that the neighbourhood area is established before the planning takes place and that there is only one plan per neighbourhood area.

Can Neighbourhood Development Orders (NDO) be used to restrict change of use of buildings?

Answer: NDOs are purely permissive and therefore cannot be used to restrict changes. However, by promoting development in the right places can help to
resist development taking place in inappropriate locations.